Tag Archives: social listening

Social media has now become a 24/7 world, with news and engagement and discussions constantly taking place round the clock. It is often the backbone of any business or organization and critical to its public image. Sadly, sometimes, things go wrong through a post or an incident un-related to social; and to limit the damage, these companies need to take to social to handle the issue before it’s too late. Regular updates to social platforms allows just about anybody to keep a record of the problem long after it has been solved. Here are some ways to handle a crisis when it happens online.

Preparation:

One of the most important meetings you can have at the office is about preparing for chaos. When things go wrong, at least some members of the team are ready to handle it, thanks to previous training. It makes the initial stress, less stressful!

The human touch:

Behind a cellphone or a computer screen, making a statement to the public, is usually a human, talking to others. At the end, we are humans communicating to one another, so we have to perhaps personalize the solution. You have to give the fellow human what they want to see or hear, so that they’ll appreciate the brand in a bad time and will want to interact with it in the future.

Listen and answer:

Once statements are being released, people following the page are going to respond with comments and questions. Another way of limiting the damage is to respond to as many people as you can, as fast as you can. They will be impressed that amidst all problems and chaos, you are making time to respond to individual queries, which will improve the reputation of the company.

Turn the crisis into something positive:

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the way in which you deal with the crisis can open up opportunities for something special, such as making new friends and improving your reputation with the audience. It’s important to be very transparent about the whole ordeal, to gain the respect of said audience and be seen as a credible and reputable company.

The employees:

Get them on board, personally. They may have released statements from the company accounts, but have them use social media from their personal accounts to share the company statements. The audience may notice that the employees are also trying to genuinely help during difficult moments. Their personal and even professional networks will notice that everyone at the company is concerned about what has gone wrong and all are involved in sending out a message and attempting to solve the crisis.

Reflection:

Once the storm has passed and things look more under control, think about what has gone wrong. Why has it gone wrong? How can you prevent it from happening in the future? Be aware that the vibe around the office will feel different and employees will be more cautious in their work; after all, you don’t want to deal with an issue like this again. Arrange a new meeting with the staff to alter some duties.

Has your business had such an experience before? Have any other questions about how to deal with this or other similar issues? We don’t want this happening to you, so contact us if you need our help! We hope it was a helpful read.